Telephonic briefing with Robert Leventhal, Deputy Director, and Kellen McClure, Anti-Corruption Advisor, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs

Please join us for telephonic briefing on Thursday, December 7, with the Robert Leventhal, Deputy Director, and Kellen McClure, Anti-Corruption Advisor, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. On the eve of International Anti-corruption Day, they will discuss the Department of State’s anti-corruption policies and initiatives including the December 4-6 Global Forum on Asset Recovery -and its anti-corruption programming in Africa.

BACKGROUND:
The United States directly engages other countries to promote anti-corruption and good governance, internationally recognized anti-corruption standards, sponsors reform programming to bolster public sector integrity, accountability and transparency, and contributes to building the architecture for cross-border cooperation to combat corruption. To sustain this effort, INL engages in high-level diplomacy, develops and implements technical assistance programs, and reinforces the important role played by civil society, the media, and the business community.

In Africa, INL’s four main objectives are to assist African partners in combating transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, and terrorism, and their effects; support post-conflict stabilization operations and security sector reform; strengthen criminal justice systems to be accountable to the public and to respect human rights; and promote regional cooperation. INL implements its Africa programs through a comprehensive range of bilateral and regional initiatives.

Bio:
Robert Leventhal
Robert Leventhal is the Deputy Director, U.S. State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Office of Anti-Crime Programs. Mr. Leventhal supervises teams dedicated to advancing U.S. interests in regards corruption, money laundering and terror finance, border security and human smuggling, cybercrime/IPR, environmental crime/wildlife trafficking, and transnational organized crime, through development and implementation of policy, diplomatic, and programmatic initiatives in those areas. As leader of the anticorruption team upon joining the State Department in fall 2007, Mr. Leventhal had a key role in development of U.S. government policy on international anticorruption efforts, coordinating U.S. government participation in a wide range of multilateral anticorruption initiatives, such as anticorruption treaties and recovery of stolen assets, and managing support for projects to promote good governance. Prior to joining the State Department, Mr. Leventhal oversaw rule of law technical assistance programs in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia for the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative and coordinated the Rule of Law Initiative’s anticorruption programming. Previously, Mr. Leventhal served as the program director for Transparency International-USA. He was a public defender for the Legal Aid Society of New York and worked in criminal justice reform for the U.N. Mission in Guatemala during the negotiation of the 1996 Peace Accords.

Kellen McClure
Kellen McClure is an Anti-Corruption Advisor in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). In this role, he assists in policy coordination for U.S. engagement in a number of international and regional anti-corruption bodies, including the G7, G20, and the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). Mr. McClure also leads INL’s engagement on issues related to the recovery and return of stolen public assets, working to increase international cooperation on asset recovery cases. In addition to policy coordination, Mr. McClure manages a diverse portfolio of INL’s regional anti-corruption programming in Africa and the Middle East. His portfolio includes projects focusing a variety of anti-corruption issues, including strengthening UNCAC compliance, public procurement transparency, and judicial integrity.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.